New Construction Project Tests Contractor’s Mettle

Independence High School in Frisco, Texas, was conceived as an impressive new construction project on a tight schedule. The standing seam metal roof of the building was a key component in the architectural planning, as it was designed to provide aesthetic appeal for the massive structure while minimizing the view of mechanical equipment for passers-by on the ground.

The roof also was comprised of several low-slope sections, which were covered with a modified bitumen system. Both the metal and modified systems contributed to the building’s energy efficiency, helping the project achieve LEED Silver status.

The roof systems were installed by the Duncanville, Texas, branch of Progressive Roofing Services. Randy Dickhaut, the company’s general manager, indicated the project was completed in approximately one year—an ambitious schedule for a job of this size. “It was a challenging new construction job,” he says. “There were a lot of logistics involved, but in general, the job went very well.

A Tale of Two Roofs

The first goal of the project was drying in the metal decking. A two-ply, hot–mopped modified bitumen system manufactured by Johns Manville was installed on 24 decks totaling approximately 195,000 square feet of low-slope roof area. The system was applied over two layers of 2 1/2-inch polyiso insulation and 1/2-inch JM Securock cover board. The system was topped with an Energy-Star rated cap sheet, DynaGlas FR CR.

Photos: Lynn Cromer Photography, Ferris, Texas

In the nine sections where the 88,000 square feet of metal roofing was installed, two layers of 2 1/2-inch polyiso insulation were attached, along with plywood decking and self-adhering TAMKO TW Tile and Metal underlayment. The standing seam metal roof system was manufactured by McElroy Metal, and the company provided the manpower and equipment to roll form the panels on the job site. Roof panels were the company’s 22-gauge Maxima 216 panels in Weathered Galvalume. These panels were complemented by 24-gauge Flush panels on walls and soffits.

The roll former was mounted on a scissor-lift truck. The eaves of the building were approximately 36 feet off of the ground, so a sacrificial panel was used to create a bridging effect to help guide panels to the roof. “Basically, the roll former went right along with us,” Dickhaut recalls. “We would pull 30 or 40 squares of panels, then drop the machine and move to the next spot. We were able to roll the panels right off the machine and lay them in almost the exact spot they would be installed.”

Photos: Lynn Cromer Photography, Ferris, Texas

The length of some of the panels posed a challenge, and as many as 12 crew members were needed to guide them into place for installation. In the steep-slope sections, crew members had to be tied off 100 percent of the time, so retractable lanyards were used to help keep safety lines out of the way.

The roof was mechanically seamed using a self-propelled industrial roof seamer manufactured by D.I. Roof Seamers. “We call it walking the dog,” notes Dickhaut. “One man can operate the equipment, and he just walks it every inch of every seam.”

The metal roof was designed to hide the mechanical equipment for the building, and Progressive Roofing completed work on two deep mechanical wells before the HVAC equipment was installed. “In the wells, we used McElroy’s Flush panels for the vertical surfaces and transitioned to the metal roofing,” notes Dickhaut. “In the bottom of the mechanical wells, we installed the Johns Manville modified roof and flashed the curbs.”

Rising to the Challenge

Dickhaut points to a few challenges on the job, including the length of the panels and the weather. “Overall, the job went really well,” he says. “The architects did a great job on the design, and McElroy has really good details. It was a pretty straightforward process. There was a lot of wind and rain we had to cope with. When you have a 100-foot panel that you can’t kink or scratch, it can get kind of tricky. You just have to be very careful.”

Photos: Lynn Cromer Photography, Ferris, Texas

The Texas weather made the schedule unpredictable. “We were on that job over a year, so we caught all four seasons,” he says. “Weather had a huge impact. We dealt with extreme heat, humidity, snow, ice, mud, monsoon-type rains. Texas throws anything and everything at you.”

Whatever the conditions, Progressive Roofing was ready. “We show up locked and loaded,” Dickhaut says. “We attack it. We have seasoned veteran roofers that lead the pack. On that particular project, we had an architect, roofing consultants, an owner’s rep, and a general contractor. We would also bring in the McElroy and JM reps periodically for consultation. It’s really a team effort.”

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Make sure you have a clean, organized work area. Block it off from children and pets. Identify and avoid all site danger areas, such as dangerous power lines, unsafe roof access areas, and underground hazards (such as cesspools and power lines).